Letterman Celebrates 20 Years of the "Late Show" with Bill Murray

Aug 30 2013, 4:06am CDT | by ABC News Radio

Photo Credit: ABC News Radio

Bryan Bedder/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Bill Murray celebrated the 20th anniversary of David Letterman’s CBS Late Show in grand style Thursday night by arriving on stage in a white vintage Rolls-Royce and stepping out dressed in a white Liberace-style outfit, complete with a cape, a white toy poodle and a pompadour hairstyle. Murray was escorted out of the Rolls by a young, blonde man wearing a chauffeur uniform.

When Murray arrived at the desk, Letterman blurted out, “Wow. Delightful. I didn’t know you had a dog.” Murray referenced his clothing, saying, “I had to get something that went with this outfit.”

Murray was the first guest to visit the Late Show with David Letterman when it premiered on August 30, 1993, and was also Dave’s first guest on his NBC Late Night when it debuted in 1982.

During his appearance Thursday, Murray revealed a special “billboard” he took out to celebrate Letterman’s anniversary. The fake “billboard” was 10-story-tall photo graphic of Murray superimposed on the front of the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Murray also used a pickaxe and a jackhammer to unearth “artifacts” from a time capsule box buried near Letterman’s desk. The artifacts in a metal box included a hairpiece Dave wore 20 years ago, a copy of the New York Post with the headline, “Jay Leno, Up Close and Personal,” and a copy of Billboard magazine from 1993 that prompted Murray to break out in song, singing a number one song from 20 years ago: I Will Always Love You.

For the evening’s Top Ten list, Letterman did the "Top Ten Top Ten List Entries from the Past 20 Years." The list included such random items such as “Self-cleaning meatball,” “Swiss family Buttafuoco” and “Clintern.”

Including Thursday night’s anniversary program, the Late Show with David Letterman has broadcast 3,897 episodes and four primetime specials in its 20 years on CBS.

Thursday’s show also included a performance by musical guests Lenny Kravitz and Gladys Knight, and a special Late Show “photo album” that featured images from the program’s 20 years./>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>/>